Tech Tip: Organizing Apps Directly in iOS

Q.Your recent tip on managing iOS apps without the old capability in the new iTunes update did not address seeing apps beyond pages available on a device (I have hundreds more not visible) and organizing them on a computer, as was so easy before iTunes 12.7. Help!

A. By confining apps management to the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, Apple has made the process more challenging for those who preferred to organize their collections in the desktop iTunes program — but there are a few tricks that may help make more of your apps visible and easier to move around. For example, sorting your apps into folders on your home screen (a feature that was introduced for the iPhone in 2010) allows you to keep at least 12 tiny app icons in the same amount of space as a single standard icon.

Depending on the screen size of your hardware and the version of the iOS software you are using, you can have anywhere from 2,160 to 49,140 apps displayed on your device’s home screens. Whether or not your phone or tablet has the storage capacity for a potential 49,140 apps is another matter, but the icon visibility is possible based on the number of home screens, space for folders and number of apps that can be stored in those folders.

To group apps into folders (like “Games” or “Photo Editors”), lightly press and hold your finger on an app icon until all the apps on the screen begin to jiggle. Drag the app on top of another app you want in the same folder; while the apps are wiggling in “edit” mode, you can also drag them around into a new order on the screen or tap the “x” in the corner to delete the app from the device.

Dragging one app at a time can be tedious, but if you are using iOS 11, you can move multiple apps at once while in edit mode‚ although it typically takes multiple fingers to do so. While you have selected one app and are dragging it into a folder or new screen location, use another finger to tap other apps and add them to a stack behind the first app; you may have to double-tap to get the additional apps to pile on. An encircled number on the first app’s icon shows you how many are grouped together, and you can drag the whole batch at once.

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In iOS 11, you can move multiple apps together by selecting one in the home-screen edit mode and then tapping other icons. The number indicates how many apps are in the batch.Credit
The New York Times

If you forget where you stashed an app on your phone, you can find it by asking the Siri assistant to open it for you. If you prefer to find your apps more quietly, swipe down from the middle of the home screen to open the iOS search box and type in the name of the app you seek. The app’s icon should appear in your search results.